You are hereCharlie and Kiwi: An Evolutionary AdventureNew York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2011. Unpaginated. The companion volume to the New York Hall of Science’s Charlie and Kiwi’s Evolutionary Adventure exhibit, Charlie and Kiwi seeks “to engage children from seven years old and up in learning about the basics of evolution—variation, inheritance, selection, time, and adaptation—using bird evolution as the main example,” writes reviewer Alan D. Gishlick. Praising the entertaining story and the lively illustrations, and assessing the scientific information presented as “reasonably accurate and well-suited for the intended audience and reading level,” Gishlick concludes, “Overall, this is a fine book telling a story of evolution for young readers.” Controversy in the ClassroomNew York: Routledge, 2009. 197 pages. Reviewer Andrew J. Petto writes, “Most of the book deals with controversies that do not have a direct bearing on creation/evolution issues. Furthermore, Hess is clear that there is a different dynamic for engaging concepts that are considered settled by the relevant disciplines but whose closed status is being challenged in public discourse. However, there is much for the natural sciences to learn here from experience in the social sciences classroom,” concluding, “Controversy in the Classroom is a valuable resource for anyone interested in promoting rational conversations about controversial issues in the classroom—and ultimately in society.” Darwin the WriterNew York: Oxford University Press, 2011. 244 pages. “George Levine’s fine new book … will certainly assist you in recognizing the beauty of Darwin’s language and convince you of the importance of actually reading Darwin before you start conversing in any depth about his ideas,” writes reviewer Michael Roos. “Levine intends to show us how much of Darwin’s enchantment with the world is inherent in the very language of his great texts, especially The Voyage of the Beagle and On the Origin of Species. … Although Levine’s erudition is impressive and he requires his readers to wade through pages of endnotes, he is nevertheless a most engaging writer, and his passion for Darwin is evident in every sentence.” Darwin's DisciplePhiladelphia (PA): Lightning Rod Press / American Philosophical Society, 2010. 806 pages. Darwin’s Disciple tells the story of Darwin’s younger colleague George John Romanes through his correspondence, annotated by Joel S. Schwartz. “While the collection is not exhaustive—though the full Darwin/Romanes correspondence is included—Schwartz has succeeded in his task,” writes reviewer John M. Lynch. “What Schwartz’s volume makes abundantly clear is that Romanes—occupying as he did a central place in the early history of Darwinism—should be seen as a fascinating character on his own merits. This volume deserves to be on the shelf of anyone—historian or not—with an interest in nineteenth-century biology.” Evolution and MedicineLondon: Henry Stewart Talks, 2007. Two CDs, approximately 27.5 hours. Describing Evolution and Medicine as “a series of talks by leading evolutionary biologists and medical theorists on the relevance of evolution to medical theory and practice” that “constitute a splendid feast of chewable morsels on what is a large and comprehensive smorgasbord of evolutionary ideas,” reviewer Niall Shanks recommended it as “a very well-structured series of talks of use to a variety of educators,” particularly those teaching college students intending to enter medical school. His only quibble was with “the absence of a module focusing specifically on pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics,” which would have been “useful and timely.” Proving Darwin: Making Biology MathematicalNew York: Pantheon Books, 2012. 144 pages. “This is an infuriating little book,” writes reviewer Jeffrey Shallit, complaining of its poor writing, its failure to cite relevant literature, and its author’s tendency for self-promotion and exaggeration. “Nevertheless, despite all these flaws … the book is written in an engaging and enthusiastic style, and does contain one rather interesting idea.” Shallit concludes, “So contrary to the title of his book, Chaitin has not proved Darwin mathematically. … Instead, he’s created an unrealistic but intriguing mathematical model quite divorced from biological evolution in the real world, and proved some theorems about it. This is the stuff of an interesting talk at a departmental colloquium, not a whole book.” |
Search
Can't find the book you're looking for? Support NCSE by making purchases with the links below. 
NCSE T-shirts 
Project Steve t-shirts can now be ordered online at the NCSE Store.
Voices for Evolution Staff Publications  by Eugenie C. Scott  edited by Eugenie C. Scott and Glenn Branch  by Peter M. J. Hess and Paul L. Allen |
